One more catty, one more attribute point

In the center of the hall, with a point of Su Heng's finger,

the Golden Crow Divine Egg on the platform began to vibrate and burst into brilliant light.

Bathed in the intense radiance, the eggshell of the Golden Crow Divine Egg displayed a unique golden glaze texture.

After a thousand years of silence, the disrupted incubation process was reinitiated, and a fervent, flourishing aura of life emanated from within the divine egg. Everyone around widened their eyes, unwilling to look away even as the bright light brought tears to their eyes.

"Did it work?" High temperatures radiated from the Golden Crow Divine Egg, compressing the air to form waves of heat.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Qin Shunying's hair fluttered in the air, her skirt clinging to her shapely, round legs, outlining the perfect curves of a woman's body. Her face was adorned with a smile of delight, as the Golden Crow held extraordinary significance for the people of Yuanxi. Naturally, she was exceptionally excited about the prospect of a new Golden Crow being born into the world.

"Some life force is present, but to determine the exact state, we must observe further," Su Heng said, his brow slightly furrowed as he carefully sensed the aura within the divine egg.

The incubation process had been restarted, and the aura of life was released.

However, this did not mean that everything was already accomplished. Within the Golden Crow Divine Egg, there was also demonic contamination that had merged into one. Even though Su Heng cultivated the Bright Sun Divine Skill, he couldn't extract this contamination. He could only take it one step at a time, observing slowly before making any plans.

Furthermore, during the incubation process...

Su Heng needed to replenish energy to the young Golden Crow, which was also troublesome.

And he had a strange feeling, like a mother feeding a baby.

Shaking his head, Su Heng turned to see Qin Shunying's… impressive chest… Such matters would be more appropriate for her to handle.

He was somewhat at a loss for words at that moment.

Meanwhile, as the Golden Crow was being incubated, the temperature in the room continued to rise.

With his strong physique, combined with the fusion of the Golden Crow's heart, Su Heng barely felt it. But the people around were beginning to find it unbearable. A few Deputy Governors bowed and took their leave, followed by Wang Xindong and Zhao Zongwu, the two Dragon Guard Leaders, bidding farewell and departing.

They hadn't come merely for the spectacle.

Instead, they were there to guard, given the invaluable nature of the Golden Crow Divine Egg.

In the blink of an eye,

only three people remained in what was originally a crowded hall.

They were Su Heng, Qin Shunying, and Li Hongxiu. Qin Shunying's Heavenly Deceit Cultivation, combined with her Bright Sun Divine Skill, made her impervious to the heat, which was understandable. But Li Hongxiu...

Something puzzled Su Heng.

"Aren't you feeling hot?" He extended a finger and gently touched Li Hongxiu's smooth forehead.

It was devoid of sweat and faintly cool to the touch. It seemed the intense heat radiating from the Golden Crow had indeed no effect on this ghostly lady. Li Hongxiu appeared somewhat perplexed, sitting on the floor, first looking up at Su Heng, then shaking her head, "I don't know why either."

Li Hongxiu pointed at the divine egg in front of her and said calmly, "It feels comfortable being near it."

"Really? Could it be…" Su Heng suddenly turned to Qin Shunying, "Is she your long-lost cousin!?"

"Uh…" Qin Shunying was momentarily embarrased, "She's probably not a descendant of Yuanxi."

"As for feeling comfortable near it, it might have to do with the demonic energy inside the Golden Crow Divine Egg," Qin Shunying propped her chin with one hand and pondered. Her clear pupils reflected a faint red light as she deduced, "If I'm not mistaken, there seems to be a demon inhabiting this lady's body." Find your next read at empire

Su Heng asked, "Does it relate to what I saw in the secret realm, where some great lords were cultivating with the help of demonic energy?"

"Yes," Qin Shunying nodded, "Above the formidable demons, there are the demon gods. Both derive their power from the same source, so of course, it can serve as an aid. But a demon god's power is too formidable and carries its own imprint; absorbing too much can easily lead to loss of control."

"The King entered the secret realm looking for a way to refine this power."

Wearing a thoughtful expression, Qin Shunying spoke softly, "Now, it seems the method isn't within the Golden Crow itself, but within this secretly hidden divine egg."

"I see," Su Heng nodded slightly, feeling that Qin Shunying's points were valid.

He turned his head to Li Hongxiu beside him and said, "Since you find the Golden Crow Divine Egg beneficial to your cultivation, stay here during its hatching process and focus on your training."

"Okay." Li Hongxiu hugged her knees, nodding in agreement, "Thank you."

"And you," Su Heng patted Qin Shunying's shoulder, "Since the Deputy Governor is busy with cultivation, could you help me take care of things here?"

"Of course, no problem." Qin Shunying tossed her long hair and agreed breezily.

She knew that Su Heng recognized the importance of the Golden Crow to her lineage and intentionally created opportunities for interaction. For Su Heng, all great powers were to his own advantage. Even if the Golden Crow Divine Egg was precious, he would not expend too much thought on it.

If it could be hatched normally, that would obviously be best.

Another divine beast that had disappeared for thousands of years might reappear, and indeed, Su Heng had received many favors from the old Golden Crow.

If something unexpected happened midway and the incubation failed, that was fine too; it would be nothing more than a bit regrettable.

After he had delegated his responsibilities, Su Heng felt much relieved.

But what followed,

he still had many tasks to attend to.

Firstly, there was his personal cultivation, digesting the gains from the Golden Crow Secret Store.

The integration of the Golden Crow's heart was not an end but a beginning.

The heart needed cooperation from other internal organs to function. Nutrients from food, concentrated and transformed by the kidneys, were finally fed into the second heart, turning into high-heat fuel of enormous power, supplying the body with a continuous stream of energy.

Su Heng had only fused with the Golden Crow's heart, and moreover, the heart had been tainted by a demon god, leaving it damaged.

This body required a vast amount of nutritional substances and a great deal of energy to complete a series of mutations.

Fortunately, within the Golden Crow Secret Store, Su Heng had obtained sufficient nutrients.

Furthermore, the Breath Swamp desert still had plenty of powerful mutated beasts, providing Su Heng with a continuous supply of nutrition.

The Golden Crow's heart strengthened his physique, increased his body weight, and granted him new attribute points.

These attribute points could be used to enhance the Bright Sun Divine Skill.

The attribute points gained from the secret store had already more than sufficiently strengthened the Bright Sun Divine Skill to perfection. Moreover, the fusion of the Golden Crow's heart would also promote the growth of his internal organ mutations. As of today, Su Heng's physique had approached perfection in all aspects.

Next, it was time to initiate super senses and step into Heavenly Deceit.

However...

Heavenly Deceit was linked to Longevity Heaven.

Powerful, but also filled with risks.

Longevity Heaven was almost the source of all extraordinary powers in this world.

Even though Su Heng's strength was already quite formidable, he still had to be cautious when coming into contact with Longevity Heaven.

"It's best to first seek someone for detailed consultation, find a suitable Cultivation Technique, and then make plans," Su Heng ordered the message to be passed on, and then entered a secret chamber within the Demon Suppression Tower to begin his seclusion.

And during the seclusion process.

Su Heng's second heart beat slowly and heavily, extracting nutrients from Taotie's Stomach.

It drove the organs in Su Heng's body to mutate towards a Divine Beast Body. The temperature of his body increased, and the high-energy reactions in his heart emitted rays that burst forth, penetrating the Demon Suppression Tower and radiating over the surrounding mountains and rivers. Eventually, it led to the entire environment of Baihua County beginning to undergo some unknown transformation.

...

The first to notice the changes were the fishermen on Guang River.

The cold winter was particularly tough for these boat-dwelling commoners, who did not have the habit of winter fishing. In normal times, they would have already moved downstream to warmer waters to spend the winter. But now, with the resurgence of demons, the times were changing.

After some consideration, the leader of the commoners decided to abandon their migration plans and chose to stay put during the winter.

Although the winter in Baihua County was somewhat harsh, there was no need to worry about demons.

They'd rather freeze to death here.

Than to run off somewhere else and be eaten by demons.

The commoners had prepared to endure the harsh cold; they made dried fish, stockpiled food, bought warm clothing, and even made tools to chip through the ice, planning to fish in the winter once the ice became thick enough, all to maintain their livelihood.

In the blink of an eye, December arrived.

"If no action is taken in the final twenty-nine days, one can walk on the ice at thirty-nine and forty-nine," This was the coldest season of the year.

Just as the leader of the commoners was preparing to lead his people for a big haul on the river surface, something incomprehensible began to happen.

The weather suddenly turned warm, and within a few days, the river surface, which had already frozen to a substantial thickness, completely thawed.

Then came the winter thunder and a shower of spring rain.

The river water was murky and turbulent, and blackfish a meter long could be seen with the naked eye.

The commoners looked at each other in disbelief, even the oldest elders in the tribe had never witnessed such a miraculous sight.

But all in all, it was a good thing. With the river surface thawed, although the tools they had made for winter fishing were now useless, the abnormally plump river fish could fetch a good price.

Then there was Canglong Mountain across from Guang River.

Because of the arrival of winter, the withered and lifeless Canglong Mountain was covered in verdant greenery overnight.

Moreover, it was enveloped in mist, appearing sacred and harmonious. Wild beast roars rumbled faintly from the depths of the forest, waterfalls roared, and the originally calm scenery now seemed to carry a hint of the divine.

Hunters swore on their honor that they had seen tigers with wings and colorful feathered birds in the forest, causing everyone to laugh heartily.

And in Baihua County.

Because of its proximity to the Demon Suppression Tower, the changes here were even more pronounced.

The residents living in the city clearly felt that this year's winter was shorter than usual, and their bodies became much hardier.

The old folks' chronic ailments, caused by long years of hard labor, disappeared silently. The children, too, were all bursting with energy, as sturdy as calves, seemingly possessing endless strength as they ran amok on the streets.

Thanks to Su Heng's orders.

The Demon Suppression Bureau had turned from shadow to public several months ago, and the number of people coming to sign up for martial arts had also greatly increased.

The formerly solemn and tranquil Demon Suppression Bureau was now somewhat overcrowded and lively. And just as everything was developing prosperously...

On the surface of Guang River.

An old and dilapidated tower ship, carrying the Yiluan Bureau's covert investigators, slowly moored at the dockside.